Resource efficiency
By using resources efficiently, Svedbergs Group helps achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals 9 – Industry, innovation and infrastructure, and 12 – Responsible consumption and production. The efficient use of resources such as energy, water, raw materials and chemicals is a high priority. In addition to environmental benefits, there are also economic benefits from a resource-efficient approach.
Sustainability goals
One of Svedbergs Group’s goals is for all energy consumption in the Group to come from renewable sources by 2030. The Group has the target of reducing the volume of waste by 35 percent by 2030 compared to 2021 in relation to sales.
Energy consumption
The Swedish operations have been using only renewable energy since 2019. The production facility in Dalstorp is heated with district heating generated from residual bark and dry chippings from a local sawmill. The production facility in Laholm is heated with biogas. Several energy efficiency measures have been implemented in the factories, such as the replacement of windows. In Dalstorp, a completely new production line with high capacity and customisation options has been installed, enhancing production efficiency and reducing energy consumption.
The distribution centre outside Bristol, UK, was completely self-sufficient in electricity and energy in 2023, thanks to a recently installed solar energy system on the roof of the premises. The energy produced is enough to power the premises and charge electric cars, and surplus energy can be sold to the National Grid.
Waste
The Group’s waste consists mainly of wood waste from production and packaging material from the transport of products from suppliers and to customers.
Several measures were taken in 2023 to reduce the amount of combustible waste and waste in the organisation. Some of these measures include a new design of cabinet doors that greatly reduces wood waste in production and the complete phase-out of plastic as a packaging material in the UK.
Materials and chemicals
Svedbergs Group evaluates the raw materials to be included in products right from the design phase. The choices made are central to quality, safety and sustainability.
Internal documentation is available on substances that must be avoided. New chemicals and products are inspected before they are used in production. Checks are also carried out regularly in production to ensure constant quality and that no harmful, unauthorised or unnecessary substances are used. The Group complies with the EU’s Chemicals Regulation REACH. The health and safety policy governs the handling of hazardous substances and chemicals in in-house production.
Two examples of the shift towards more sustainable materials are a newly developed furniture range, Poem, which does not contain plastic, and the new collaboration with the Finnish company Woodio on basins made from wood chip material.
